Andrew Lansley will arrive in Manchester having been chased up the M6 by a flurry of
negative stories about his NHS reforms. The Guardian has gone to town on the news that the
Lords Health Committee has expressed concern about Lansley’s plan. Their reservations stem from Shirley Williams’ concerns about the diminished role of the secretary of state; she worries that this will dilute
accountability over the health service, which she views as unacceptable given the vast sums of money the secretary of state controls. The Lords will debate these matters later this month and
amendments are expected to be tabled. Elsewhere, the British Medical Association has also fired another salvo at Lansley, calling for the Bill to be
scrapped. And Monitor, the health regulator, warns that numerous trusts are beginning to miss targets for acceptable care. It is the latest indication that the health service is under mounting strain.
Stories of financial pressure may strengthen Lansley’s case – and he is certainly reiterating the case for reform on those terms. But he is still likely to take the rap for apparently falling standards. As James reveals in his political column in the latest issue of the Spectator, Downing Street pollster Andrew Cooper knows the Tories still need to “decontaminate” the brand: the chorus that “You can’t trust the Tories with the NHS” is still potent.
Lansley is not expected to survive the reshuffle that is likely for the spring. But his saving grace is that Labour haven’t exploited the government’s weakness fully. Neither shadow
health secretary John Healy or Ed Miliband really made an impact on health at the Labour conference; offering only impassioned defence of the status quo, when it is clear that some cost saving measures must be
undertaken. Lansley has the opportunity to restate his policy and reassure voters, who may be watching the Tory conference. The new commitments on NHS 111, the 24/7 help service that has replaced NHS Direct,
are designed to have that effect.
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